Bengaluru, Apr 23: The Karnataka BJP on Thursday staged a protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha, condemning AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge’s “terrorist” remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and demanded that he apologise to the country.
The protest was led by state BJP President B Y Vijayendra, Leaders of Opposition in the Assembly and Council R Ashoka and Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje, and several party legislators and leaders.
Holding placards, they shouted slogans against Kharge.
“Several countries have conferred their highest civilian awards on our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. No other PM of India has received awards on such a scale. At a time when the whole world has recognised Narendra Modi’s leadership, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge has made a statement calling him a terrorist. Not only the BJP, but the entire country condemns it,” Vijayendra said.
Speaking to reporters, he added that Kharge and the Congress party are probably unable to accept Narendra Modi’s popularity.
“Narendra Modi, who comes from a backward class, has successfully led the country as PM for twelve consecutive years. The Congress is unable to accept this. The party is collapsing day by day across the country, so they are making such remarks against Modi. We strongly condemn this and urge Kharge to apologise to the nation,” he said.
Ashoka said the AICC president’s statement reflects the Congress party’s “degraded culture.” He added that people had rejected Kharge, and after losing the Lok Sabha elections, he is now holding onto power in the Rajya Sabha.
“Kharge had ambitions to become the CM of Karnataka, but the Congress party did not support him. He is disillusioned and does not know what he is saying. That is why he used the term ‘terrorist’ against the PM, who has led the nation in the fight against terrorism and Pakistan,” he claimed.
The opposition leader demanded that Kharge be removed as Congress president and that he apologise to the country for his remarks.
Kharge, on Tuesday, accused Modi of “terrorising” political parties by allegedly misusing government machinery and central agencies to suppress the Opposition.
This triggered strong reactions from the BJP, which criticised him for calling Modi a “terrorist.”
Addressing a press conference in Chennai alongside AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal, Kharge initially referred to the PM as a “terrorist” while criticising the AIADMK’s alliance with the BJP.
Questioning how the AIADMK—a party rooted in the Dravidian ideologies of Periyar and C N Annadurai—could justify aligning with Modi, Kharge said: “How can these AIADMK leaders, who display Annadurai’s photo, join hands with Modi? He is a terrorist… He does not believe in equality. His party does not believe in equality and justice. By joining them, they are weakening democracy.”
However, when asked by reporters to clarify his remark, Kharge stated that he meant the PM was “terrorising” the democratic fabric of the country. (PTI)
